Aggression levels among correctional officers: Reassessing sex differences

Questions about the abilities and appropriateness of female correctional offi-cers working in adult men’s correctional institutions have been asked since women first entered men’s prisons. Although some scholars argue that women should not, or cannot, work effectively in such settings, others have shown that there are few differences in quality of work or productivity. Building on this line of research, the present study assesses self-reported perceptions of differences in aggressive responses to instances of inmate challenges and misbehavior. Findings indicate that there are no differences in men’s and women’s responses, and only three variables (job title, height, and having minor children) predict any differences in staff responses. In addition, although female correctional officers report a higher degree of job-related stress than do males, job stress is not related to likelihood of aggressive responses. Findings are discussed in relation to historical and contextual dif-ferences between the present study and previous research